Thank you, John I am very happy with the software.... Well, if anyone can coach a person through the beginning stages of laser engraving as it done with low powered diodes it is certainly you, Jeff and perhaps some of the others at this place right here....

I'm certainly wide open for any suggestions and comments.... I know I need help

I am in middle of getting a DAC board made waiting on the parts etc I have a laser 2.5w laser diode and 2.8w driver...got the kit from Jay at jtechphotonics I'm gonna try my laser and driver with the DAC first to see how they do

Doug I thought I might mention something to look for if you try to buy some poplar. I always look it over to see if it has Green grain in with the white. It really Shows up in the finish. I do not know What it Would Look Like with the white lacquer but I sure do not like it without. Tony Hi! Nice having you here. These guys here on the forum are the best and are really a lot of good help. Jerry

That driver will only except TTL or PWM input, so you will need an analog to PWM converter also. I don't think varied analog voltage will work with it. It needs a minimum of 2.8v to the modulation to turn on the laser diode.

Jeff.... Do I understand that with the 10 bit shaft encoder I could still use my driver and diode laser??

I was thinking before if I went the mechanical route I would still have to change out all my stuff anyway....diode and driver...

you have an excellent tutorial for putting shaft encoder on the instructable site shucks, I could follow that...it's all laid out right there....

Even while making plans to do the DAC I am pulled toward the encoder...

Jerry, I know that you got a lot of help on the forum right here from these same guys and I was amazed at the pictures of the stuff you're doing now all of that is what convinced me to try and do the laser engraving too

tp

Hozzáadva (2014-10-30, 13:10)---------------------------------------------Oh yeah!! I did solve one problem I had with the large G code files generated for TTL Mach 3 had began to freeze up... sometimes freezing up right in the middle of everthing So, I download a new screenset that uses 75% less computing power I haven't had the problem since.....

Your laser will work with both those options as I explained before, but will not work with just the DAC. If you order the analog to PWM converter, you may want to get two just incase. It's a long trip from China and could take 2-3 weeks delivery.

The PWM encoder option takes some machine work, but the bracket can be made with your CNC router using a spindle. If you have a nema 23 stepper motor you plan to use, make sure you increase the center to center distance from the two shafts to keep any magnetic fields from the stepper causing interference to the encoder. Jerry just ran into this with his analog encoder.

Tony Mach 3 has a program called MachScreen it is real easy to use. I used V1.61a http://www.kd-dietz.com/klausphp/ to build my screen set. I set it up to turn off the tool path automatically when you click the Reset button, in Mach, with an option to turn it back on for smaller files. I also added a LED that blinks green and red while the file is loading. The large files can take over an hour lo load and if the computer locks it will turn the LED off so I will know and I can restart. Mach 3 will only work with a file that has less than 10,000,000 line size. Jeff is making a program that will make the line size so Mach can use it. Keep an eye out for it when you start getting files that big. I also made it read 20 lines of code, it makes it a lot easier to see the code on a restart. I've had burns that burn for three days and I don't like it on while I am in bed. Jerry

I'm beginning to wonder if my lens is gonna be what I need... after re-reading some post and considering some other things that have been suggested I am almost certain that my lens focus is a main problem... going by the recommendation .005 that Jeff has suggested.... I tried to get my lens refocused to that specification

1. the lens is wobbly which I can fixed with either hot melt or teflon...I suppose

2. the laser spot doesn't appear to be solid like I would expect it to be....it seems a little bit scattered....can't quite tell...if it is really scattered or whether it just appears that way looking through the glasses and the plexiglass shielding...

Jeff, Just left the Ebay site bought two of those lenses saw them on the instructable site before you posted them here.... thought about the threads also, I am hoping they fit my diode....cross that bridge when they get here.....

I am running another Disney Tinkerbell right now....changed the PR to .0080 ???, doubled the ipm to 75....changed the depth height to -.0020 trying Atkinson Dithering this time....see how that does....trying to stop all that burning.....

I ran the "line burn test" that you use to find the PR..... did come out so good, could not hardly see any difference using a magnifying glass

Tony Going to ask a dumb Question, I am having a little trouble figuring out what kind of laser you are using? I might not understand if so just correct me? If it is a diode laser why are you Dithering? If it is a CO2 laser why are you using that lines? If it is something else I am talking out of school. What is it? The background for the screen set is a .JPG. It can be built by you. The buttons are added by the program I mentioned. I think you can get it from ArtSoft. Is that your question? Thanks Jerry

Incidentally, for everyone Jay at Jtech says that the threads on his diodes are M9x0.5 which means my new lens that shipped today will fit my diode which is great news,

thank you Jeff for being so smart as to remind me about those things

Jerry, You couldn't ask a dumb question, I initially bought the mach 3 laser kit from Jtech was gonna figure it out myself how to engrave ...i was having no sucess trying to use PVC and Vcarve pro when i stumbled across the long forum between John and Jeff and sometimes tweakie and later you and Doug...

Jerry, I probably didn't stress the fact, I am really brand new to all this and I may still be doing things that dont make sense to you guys that have it primarily all figured out...

I don't have my DAC board completed so I am limited I was looking at all the stuff that Jeff was able to do with TTL and dithering even photographs were like astonishing... while I was waiting on my DAC to be completed I was trying to do TTL Alto' I have only been able to do clipart to any measurable success

I did three more burns of the Disney Tinkerbell last night and I'm gonna attach them later today.... to see what everybody thinks

Jerry, I am wide open for any help... so I welcome anyone who can tell me something...

thanks tp

Hozzáadva (2014-10-31, 17:50) --------------------------------------------- On the following pictures.... I went back did some adjusting and focusing on the lense did a line burn test and then I did three pictures of the same Tinkerbell clipart

Tony I'm not sure if you have been introduced to this thing or not. It is a little white to black thing that John let me use and I use it all the time. I hope he will not mind if I let you borrow it. When things are right with your laser this thing will look good. Jerry